Internships and Careers in International Affairs

by Ross Adler

During the PTK International Conference held in Orlando, Florida last April 24-26, I attended a mini seminar on internships and careers in the International Relations field. In that particular seminar, I learned several ways to potentially land employment and be successful in this field.

The first step is to familiarize yourself with the different fields of International Relations. The five general fields of International Relations are politics, economy, public affairs, administration, and consulates. More specifically, politics and economy focus on the relationships between the United States and another country, the public affairs field focus on advancing the United States’ interests abroad, administration deals with background work and making sure that institutions that we have abroad are working properly, and consulates deal with protecting American citizens in other countries as well as issuing visas to foreign nationals who wish to enter the United States.

It is also important to be familiar with organizations that hire international relations graduates. The biggest employer of these graduates is the US government. Specific departments within the US government that hire international relations graduates are the Department of Commerce, the FBI, the Energy Department, and the Interior Department.

Lastly, one thing to keep in mind is to try to “break into the field” as early as possible. Getting a relevant internship in Washington DC is instrumental in advancing your career is very important and should be your utmost priority as you pursue a career in International Relations.